Electric donductor.



i E. D. CHAPLIN.

, EtECTRIC CONDUCTOR. APPLICATION FILED FEB. a. |915.

1 ,291,406. Patented Jan. 14, 1919.

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W'tne ses." .I Inventors @2Q/jim Edwv'nwzwpwn; ff@ @my EDWIN D. CHAPLIN,or NEW Yonx, N. Y.

ELECTRIC CONDUCTOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 14, 1919.

Application led February 8, 1915. Serial No. 6,689.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, EDWIN D. CHAPLIN, a citizen of th(` United States,residing in New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in ElectricConductors, of which the following is a specification.

A principal object of the present improvements is to furnish electricconductorswhicli shall combine the properties or qualities of beingfireproof and waterproof while having a sufficient amount of flexibilityfor meeting ordinary and unusual requirements, and also be a goodinsulator.

A further object is to provide for a requisite insulation while avoidingthe use of substances which on being unduly heated, whether by theaction of electric elements or by external gases, will result in apressure combustion'or in a distillation of materials forming noxiousgases of a dangerous character. y

It will be remembered in this connection that when insulating materialsare subjected to incomplete lcombustion or to distillation as occurs forinstance in feed cables, dangerous gases are sometimes formed in largequantity, especially .when the insulating materials consist of rubber orother compounds of vegetable ori in such for instance as combinationsinclu ing rubber substitutes as are manufactured from oils or othermaterials.

These and other features, capabilities and advantages of the inventionwill appeary from the subjoined detailed description of one specificembodiment thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which-Figure 1 shows a short portion of a conductor made in accordance with mypresent invention, some parts being broken away for more clearlyillust-rating a preferred construction thereof.

`Fig. 2 is an end view as seen from the right hand of Fig. 1.

Figs. 3 4 and 5 are detail views illustrating relative features andmodifications of construction of the gap-forming member as hereinaftermore fully explained.

Fig. 4a is a fragmental end view of the segment illustrated in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a diagramm-atic View corresponding to Fig. 1 for illustratingthe manner in which the yseveral components of the conductor are shiftedor rearranged in their relative positions when the conductor is forciblbent to a relatively small curvature.

igstl 7 and 8 are views corres onding to Figs. 1 and 2 for illustratingt c further feature of my invention whereby a leadingv wire and a returnwire may be arranged .within the same insulation core and outer casingtherefor. Fig 9 is a view similar to Figs. 2 and 8 illustrating how theconstruction may be arranged for using a plurality of conductors greaterthan two and with a non-circular cross sectional form of the conductor.

My improved electric conductor or conduit may be briefly described ascomprising in its more simple forms a conducting wire which willordinarily be located in the centerv of the conduit and mayconsist of'asingle wire or of a plurality of iwires twisted togetherin a well knownmanner; an outer tube or casing of suitable character and preferably ofductile metal which for ordinary practice may be lead; and, anintervening gap-forming core consisting of mineral bodies of improvedconstruction arranged in a continuous series within the outer tube orcasing and provided with a passageway for the conducting wire or cable.Thus the cable is built up of members assembled together in an organizedarrangement and consisting lwholly of materials not subject todistillation whereby the formation of dangerous gases cannot result.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, 1 designates a tubular casing preferably oflead or similar ductile metal while 2, 2 indicate a series of insulationbodies of the general character of disks arranged in a continuous seriesand having central openings 3 for the conducting wire 4. This wire'isindicated in the drawing as bein in the form of a small cable made u o aplurality of small wires twisted toget er in the usual manner. Theinsulating bodies 2 are composed of any suitable mineral composition,preferably vof earthenware or porcelain of a kind substantially such asnow commonly employed in making articles for use in electric devicessuch as switch bases, and the like.

One feature of `my present invention relates to the insulating members 2which said vi'ire 4 to the outer casing 1. A further feature relates tothe construction and arrangement of the members 2, 2 of the 1nsulatincore whereby a large amount of iexibility may be secured soA that thecompleted conductor may be curved to a considerable lextent on anunusually small radius without subjecting the ductile outer casing 1 toan excessive amount of deformation. In bending the ductile tube orcasing 1 such as indicated at 6 in Fi 6, it is well known that it isdesirable to e ect the bending in such a mannerthat one side of the tubewill be compressed the same amount to which the other side is extendedso that the lexure of the conductor considered as a whole will occuralong the neutral axis which is about central of the conductor.

As a means for providing 'for such a proper action or flexure, I preferto employ gapforming` disks or members in which each one has arelatively convex surface on one side and a corresponding concavesurface on the other side so that when two of vthese members or disksare turned one against the other, one of them may be said to form asocket bearingagainst which the other one operates with a motion similarto that of a ball and socket joint. In this manner each of thegap-forming members moves so tospeak about a central point or axis andby a relatively turning movement about such point while these points as7, 7, Fig. 6, are located approximately in a longitudinal axis whichisabout central to the conductor. The features here described areillustrated in diagram in Fig. 6 where the successive members 2, 2, 2,are shown turned one upon another for bringing the series into acurvilinearI arrangement in such a manner as to secure thedesiredcurvature without an elongation of the conductor as measuredalong the central axis thereof.

As a means for more fully securing the described results and mode ofaction, 'I make the said convex and concave contacting surfaces of thedisks,*as clearly shown and disclosed in the sectional portions of Figs.1 and 6,*of a spherical form, and also make said surfaces as portions orzones of geometric spheres of the same size which intersect in such amanner that in the sectional view in Fig. 6 the circular line of theconvex surface comes near to the center of the circle, or circular line,of the next curvature of said core, while avoiding sharp corners. l v

The assembling of the several component members of the cable may beerformed in several` different ways. For instance, the wire or cable `4may have the series of insulation members 2, 2 assembled thereon byslipping these members over one end of the wire and then slidingthemalong into a compact series. In practice, this method may requirethat the insulation members will be applied by machinery in an automaticmanner, and for this purpose Ihave devised a machine especially ada tedfor carrying out this method of ma ing the conductors. After theconductor wire 4 has the insulation members 2, 2 assembled thereon, theouter covering l may be applied in any convenient or suitable manner asfor instance by forming the same upon the in- ;sulation core (thiscomprising the said members 2, 2) after the manner now employed forcovering electric conductors and cableswith a lead casing. This" methodbeing well known will not require particular description. I prefer,however, to apply the lead casing by making the same of sheet leadwrapped about the cable and fused together along the joint by the use ofappliances now well known in the formation of tubes for other purposes,thus avoidinsulation members may be composed of two parts put togetherso as toform a'disk. This construction is indicated in Figs. 3 and 4which are therefore supplemental to Figs. 1 and 2. In Fig. 3, theinsulation disk .D is shown formedv of the two parts d and d and thesemay be. duplicates of each other, or if preferred, they may be made in amanner so that one supplements the other. rIhe portion d of the completedisk D is shown in Figs. 4 and 4a as seen from left hand end in Fig. 3,and this arrangement of said device being for the purpose ofillustrating the preferred manner of forming the parts Z and d', so thatthey will interlock and thereby be located one upon the other in aproper manner. When the insulation disks D are in segments or separableparts inthe manner here illustrated, they may be readily applied to thecentral wire 4 by hand or otherwise and without the necessity of slidingthem intoplace as when the disks are integral.

Instead of forming the disks as in Figs. l and 2 or in separable andcomplemental `where an open space or slot is made therein at 5 by meansof which the disk D may be passed over the central wire 4 whenassembling the insulation core thereon. In p1'actice,.-when using theform D of the core members, it will, of course, be desirable to applythese disks in miscellaneous positions circumferentially of the wire sothat contiguous core members will have the said openings innon-coincident positions relative to each other and thus avoid theaccidental forming of an opening of any considerable lengthlongitudinally of the core through which the central wire might by someaccident become misplaced. Any such objection is overcome by turning thedisks D to different circumferential positions so that the said openingswill preferably come in transverse directions as regards anypair ofcontiguous core members. In practice, any 'turning of the core membersafter the outer casing is placed thereon ma be prevented by formingslight indentations as 9, Fig. 5, in the periphery of the gap-formingdisks D, so that when the lead casingl is drawn in'to place the metalthereof will slightly engage or enter into such de ressions .9 and thusefiectually lock all o the core members in their proper relativepositions. e

It is believed that usually the circular peripheral form of theinsulation members as indicated, for instance, in Figs. 2 and 3 will bepreferable, but in some cases, if desired, these members will be made ofan oblong peripheral outline either elliptical or otherwise, asindicated, for instance, in Figs. 8 and 9, the latter figure showing theinsulation membervv D? of substantially a triangular form. Theelliptical form D2, as indicated in Fig. 8, is especially intended Y foruse in my improved conductors' when these are made in small sizes asrequired, for

instance, in electric lighting and for signal-v ing lines and thevariety of analogous purposes. The arrangement of the details asindicated in Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive, is thought to be especially.adapted for conductors used in connection with power lines andespecially for use in underground conduits and articularly such conduitsas are required in subways and tunnels.

Figs. 7 and 8 illustrate more especially the form and arrangement of mypresent improvements especially intended for use in small conductors,but it will be understood that the disks or insulating members D2 may,if desired, lbe of circular eripheral form instead of having theelliptical form shown in Fig. 8. However, the use of this ellipticalform has the advantage of saving mateally' of Such dis rial and alsoindicating to the buyer vthat the conductor is of a two-wireconstruction. The size and form'of the openings in the disk D2 throughwhich the respective wires 4, 4, pass as indicated in the sectionalportion of Fig. 7, will, in practice, be arranged for permitting such anamount of curvature or flexibility of the cable as may be desired forthe particular purposes for which the cable may be designed in anyparticular instance. lt should be understood in this connection that arelatively greater amount of flexibility or bending capacity may besecured by making the insulation blocks, in either of .the arrangementsillustrated, to occupy a relatively short space longitudinally of theconductor.

The insulation disks 2y forming the articulated core member of theconstruction illustrated in Figs. 1 and 6 are substantially sphericalbodies, each having a concave spherical socket 10 formed on one sidethereof, the central o ening 3 being disposed' axilrc); terminating. atone end in the center of said spherical socket 10, and as it approachesits ends in each direction enlarging progressively. The remainder of thesurface of the disk is substantially a spherical convex surface' 11 sothat when these disks are in osition on a cable 4, the arrangement issuc that the spherical concave surface 11 of one disk will be disposedin the spherical convex socket 10 'of its adjacent disk, so that thesedisks together can have a substantially universal movement relative toone another, and/the enlar ed ends of the o enings 3- will facilitate51e angular disp acement of such disks 2 relative to the cable`4 whichoccurs when the conductor is being bent as shown in Fig. 6. y

In the form of disk shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 4, the segments al and"together form a disk which has a conformation substantially that of thedisk illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 6. These segments d and d areidentical with one another, each comprising onehalf of the complete disk2 and dividing the said complete disk 2 along a plane that passesaxially throu h the opening` 3. Each of the disks al and dg thereforehas two ends to engage with two corresponding ends of its complementalsegment, in which there are formed interlocking members, one end havingan elongated recess. 12, and the other end having an elongated lug 13both eX- tending transversely of the complete disk 2, and the recess 12corresponding to and being formed to receive the lug 13 of itscomplemental segment.

The disk D2 illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8 has a somewhat ellipticalconformation in the elongated portion of which there is formedaspherical socket 14 jon one side thereof, while the remainder of thesurface of said disk is substantially convex. Ex-

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. formed two openings 15, to take the place of the single opening 3 ofthe disk 2 illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 6, such openings 15 beingsubstantially parallel with one another and terminating at one end inthe socket 14:. Similarly, these openings 15, 15 as they approach theirends in both directions enlarge progressively for the purpose alreadyset forth. rihe disks D2 are thus equipped to receive two wires and willhave a special utility for lighting systemsand the like, in which casesthe two wires may be the leading and the return wire.

rlhe disk 1Ds, illustrated in l@ ig. 9, is substantially triangular incross section, which forni is especially adapted to form core meinbersthrough which three wires are Ato be extended. for which purpose thereare provided three openings 16, 16 and 16. rlihe disk D3 has also formedin one of its ends a spherical socket 17 to receive the convex end of anadjacent disk D3 in which socket 17 one series of the ends Osaidopenings 16 terminate.

lt is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made to thedetailsof construction without departing :from the general spirit of theinvention.v

claim:

1. The hereindescribed electric conductorv having an outer ductilecasing, and having a gap-forming core disposed in said casing andcomposed oi mineral bodies having a diameter greater than their lengthand formed convex on one side and concave on the otherl side thereof,there being openings in said mineral bodies which together form acontinuous passageway in such core, each said mineral body having saidconvex and concave faces of spherical shape and conforming to similarfaces of the adjacent mineral bodies, for facilitating a practicallyfree movement of said bodies relative to one there being openings insaid mineral bodies which together form a continuous passageway in suchcore, a conducting wire disposed in said passageway, each mineral bodycomprising a segmental portion to permit positioning of such mineralbody on said conducting wire through a movement transverse to saidconducting wire, and a series of relatively shallow depressionslongitudinally disposed in the periphery of said mineral body to beengaged by the outer casing and rictionally hold said mineral bodyagainst rotation.

' EDY/V 1N DCHAPLN. Witnessess Fnac. d. Donn, Josera F. V. Crmrs'rornnn.

